Friday, September 17, 2010

These are indeed exciting times, and not only because the NHL is on the radar again with teams reporting to training camp.

But over at The Daily Hab-it headquarters in beautiful NDG, there's been a lot of change over the past few weeks and I thought it was time I filled you in on some of it so you know what to expect from me over the coming season.First off, I'm thrilled to announce that I've signed on to be the Montreal correspondent for NHL.com this season, an opportunity I've waited a long time for. I loved writing for The Canadian Press, and will still do so from time to time, but this move makes me the lone hockey writer in Montreal for NHL.com. That means I will cover every game (or close to it) and every morning skate, which wasn't the case in the past. I have goosebumps just typing that.

The thought of actually writing for a league-endorsed publication would have been unthinkable for me a few years ago, but I like what the NHL has done with its website over the past few years by giving its writers some liberty to cover the news properly. There are obviously limits to what can be written on the league's website, but the reason I love being a hockey writer is to do just that, write about what happened in hockey games and about what the players are like off the ice. And that's exactly what NHL.com does, so I'm very happy to now be a part of it.So all of you will be able to see what I'm doing in one, easy to access location, but that doesn't mean I'm abandoning what I've built here. Not by a long shot. I hope to be able to continue providing the same level of coverage at The Daily Hab-it that I've been providing the past two years, and my work with NHL.com places no limits on what I can write here, so don't expect my tone to change.

It's possible that I'll get lazy at times and simply post a link here to my work at NHL.com, but I don't anticipate that happening too often. There are also some possibilities out there for the growth of this blog and I've had some encouraging discussions with people over the past few weeks that could lead to some changes here as well, but I'm not really at liberty to go into more details for the time being. I'll let you all know when I'm able to.

So sorry if you were expecting some Habs talk here, but what I really wanted to do today was make that announcement. I'll be attending Canadiens training camp on Saturday and will try to post something on here once my actual job there is done. But I've been walking on cloud nine about these developments the past few days and just wanted to share that with all of you, my loyal readers who I appreciate and cherish very much.

This blog has played a big role in helping me grow my profile over the past couple of seasons, and I have no one but you to thank for that. So thanks, and hopefully you'll keep coming back all season long to get your news and Canadiens updates right here at The Daily Hab-it.Game on, people.

I'm pleased that you've gotten this opportunity. You offer great writing and an interesting perspective that other writers don't deliver. It's excellent that another set of eyes is taking us on the journey with the team and analyzing what is happening on the ice and amongst players. By all means, link your articles as I rarely have time to check out NHL.com.

Who you're reading

I'm a freelance sports reporter working in Montreal who has covered the Habs since 2000. I used to be obsessed with the Canadiens by choice, and for free. Now I'm paid to do the same thing. It's pretty sweet.